Piles of injuries and NHL call-ups did not deter the Stars from continuing their winning ways in Week 20. Texas embarked on its last week-long road trip of the regular season on February 19th and headed north. Even with injuries forcing Tyler Sloan, Patrik Nemeth, Travis Morin, Maxime Fortunus and Alex Chiasson to miss all three games in Week 20, the wins kept coming. The Stars flew into Rochester for their only game of the year against the Americans at Blue Cross Arena. Reinforcements came in from Dallas in the form of right wing Tomas Vincour and center Tom Wandell, who had not played an AHL game since the 2007-08 season with the Iowa Stars.

Wednesday’s game in Rochester was all Stars, as they scored the first four goals of the game en route to a 5-1 win over the Amerks. Vincour scored twice, Mathieu Tousignant scored his first AHL goal of the season, Colton Sceviour scored his team-leading third shorthanded goal of the year and Mike Hedden found the net on the power play as Texas out-shot the Americans 38-22 for the club’s first ever win at Rochester.

Texas then traveled to Cleveland for a two game weekend series with the Lake Erie Monsters at Quicken Loans Arena. Vincour found the net again to give the Stars an early lead, but the Monsters responded with three straight goals, including two from Mike Connolly, to take a 3-1 into the third period. Texas rallied as Francis Wathier scored halfway through the final frame and then, with the net empty for an extra attacker, rookie defenseman Jamie Oleksiak tied the game with 1:06 left in regulation. Oleksiak and Wandell each scored shootout goals and rookie Jack Campbell stopped five-of-six Lake Erie shooters for the 4-3 win.

Saturday night was not as dramatic. Texas took control early in the second period when defenseman Carl Sneep scored his first AHL goal since the 2010-11 season. The Monsters ran into penalty trouble in the middle period and the Stars made them pay. Oleksiak scored back-to-back power play goals, first from Taylor Vause and Tom Wandell, and then from Vincour and Wathier, to open up a 3-0 lead. Lake Erie’s Karl Stollery scored a power play goal late in the period to wake up the 12,108 fans in Cleveland, but Texas would silence them four and half minutes into the third period when Justin Dowling made a stunning behind-the-back spinning pass to Mike Hedden for a two-on-on goal and a 4-1 Stars lead. Mike Sgarbossa scored a power play goal at 13:16 of the third, but it was not enough as Texas swept the two-game series with Lake Erie 4-2 to win its 33rd game of the season.

Week 21 Preview:

Riding a five-game winning streak, Texas will complete its eight-day, four-game road trip on Tuesday against the Oklahoma City Barons at 7:00 p.m. at Cox Convention Center, the final time the Stars will travel to OKC this season. Texas then returns home to begin their March schedule with is heavily loaded with home games. The Stars will host the Chicago Wolves for a 7:30 p.m. faceoff on Friday, March 1st at Cedar Park Center. Friday’s game is another Texas Lottery Lucky Row Night, a $3 Beer Night and the fourth Stars Player Magnet Giveaway. Oklahoma City will then come to town on Saturday, March 2nd for a 7:00 p.m. faceoff. Saturday’s game is a Family Four Pack Night and the Stars T-Shirt Giveaway presented by Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority.

Right wing Tomas Vincour (10-15-25) is sixth on the team in points and is on a five-game point streak with 11 points (6 goals, 5 assists) and a +4 rating during that span. Left wing Francis Wathier (2-12-14) is on a three-game assist/point streak and has four points (1 goal, 3 assists) and a +2 rating in his last three games. Center Tom Wandell (0-4-4) is on a three-game assist streak, with four assists and a +1 rating in his last three games. Goalie Jack Campbell (13-6-3, 2.45, 0.912) has won his last five-straight starts and is 6-1-1 in February, with a 1.46 goals-against average, a 0.940 save-percentage and one shutout in the month.

Week 21 Schedule:
(All games are broadcast LIVE over the Internet at www.TexasStarsHockey.com and the free Radio tab of www.ahllive.com and can be viewed via internet pay-per-view video on www.ahllive.com. All times listed in Central Time)

• Team Notes: Oklahoma City has gone 1-2-0-1 in its last four games and split a home-and-home series with the Houston Aeros last week. The Barons won 4-3 at Cox Convention Center last Friday night led by Jonathan Cheechoo’s three-point game (1 goal, 2 assists) as Oklahoma City took a 4-1 lead and held off a late charge by the Aeros. Saturday night in Houston, all three goals were scored in the first period and goalie Matt Hackett stole the show, stopping 36-of-37 shots as the Aeros held the Baron’s top-rated power play to a 0-for-4 night and won the game 2-1. Oklahoma City is in 12th place in the Western Conference, but is only four points behind eighth place Lake Erie and has four games in-hand on the Monsters. G Yann Danis is 2-1-0 in his last three games after losing five-straight starts in January. The Barons have 11 home games and 14 away games left on their regular season schedule.
• Leading Scorer: Jordan Eberle (C) – 51 points (25 goals, 26 assists) and +11 in 34 GP.
• Leading Goaltender: Yann Danis (G) – 3.03 GAA, 0.902 save pct., 15-13-3, 0 SO in 31 GP.
• Who’s Hot: RW Jonathan Cheechoo (6-7-13) has 13 points (6 goals, 7 assists) and a -2 rating in his last seven games. C Mark Arcobello (15-19-44) ranks second on the team in assists, third in points and has nine points (3 goals, 6 assists) and a +7 rating in his last seven games. D Brett Clark (0-10-10) has six assists and a +1 rating in his last five games.

• Team Notes: Since losing at home to Texas 6-4 on January 18th, Chicago has gone 8-4-1-1 (18 points) and five points behind Grand Rapids, who leads the Midwest Division, although the Wolves have two games in-hand on the Griffins. Chicago had its five-game point streak (3-0-1-1) snapped on Sunday in a 2-1 home loss to the Rockford Icehogs. Captain Darren Haydar had a hand in all seven Wolves goals last week, scoring four goals and adding three assists and was named the CCM/AHL Player of the Week for Week 20. After allowing four first period goals and eventually being pulled from the January 18th game vs. Texas, former Stars goalie Matt Climie did not play the next six games. Instead rookie Joe Cannata made six straight starts and went 4-2-0 in that span. Climie has since regained his starting role and has started each of Chicago’s last eight games, going 4-3-1 with two shutouts. Cannata was reassigned by Vancouver to the ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings last Friday, perhaps for playing time, and Mathieu Corbeil was recalled from the CHL’s Missouri Mavericks.
• Leading Scorer: Darren Haydar (RW) – 45 points (17 goals, 23 assists) and +11 in 45 GP.
• Leading Goaltender: Matt Climie (G) – 2.39 GAA, 0.921 save pct., 14-14-2, 4 SO in 31 GP.
• Who’s Hot: RW Darren Haydar leads the team in goals (17), assists (23), points (40) and plus-minus (+11) and has seven points (4 goals, 3 assists) and a +3 rating in his last three games. C Andrew Ebbett ranks third on the team in both assists (17) and points (25) and has four points (1 goal, 3 assists) and a +3 rating in his last three games. D Kevin Connauton ranks fourth on the team in assists (16) and has six assists and a +4 rating in his last five games. LW Bill Sweatt ranks fourth in goals (11) and tied for sixth in points (20) and has four points (2 goals, 2 assists) and a +1 rating in his last five games.

• Team Notes: This will be the fifth of six games between Texas and Oklahoma City at Cedar Park Center this season. Their last game in Cedar Park, which is also their 12th and final meeting of the 2012-13 regular season, will take place on Friday, April 5th at 7:30 p.m. In the previous 14 games all-time at CPC, Texas has a record of 6-7-0-1 and Oklahoma City is 8-5-0-1.
• Leading Scorer: Jordan Eberle (C) – 51 points (25 goals, 26 assists) and +11 in 34 GP.
• Leading Goaltender: Yann Danis (G) – 3.03 GAA, 0.902 save pct., 15-13-3, 0 SO in 31 GP.
• Who’s Hot: RW Jonathan Cheechoo (6-7-13) has 13 points (6 goals, 7 assists) and a -2 rating in his last seven games. C Mark Arcobello (15-19-44) ranks second on the team in assists, third in points and has nine points (3 goals, 6 assists) and a +7 rating in his last seven games. D Brett Clark (0-10-10) has six assists and a +1 rating in his last five games.

Tomas Vincour – G – #17 3 GP, 6 Points (3 G, 3 A), +2, 0 PIMs
Texas Stars right wing Tomas Vincour came back from his NHL stint with the Dallas Stars this week and torched his competition. The Brno, Czech Republic native had a team-high six points (3 goals, 3 assists) and a +2 rating in Week 20, leading the first place Stars to a three-game sweep over Rochester and Lake Erie. Vincour began the week with a two-goal performance on Wednesday night as Texas beat the Americans 5-1 at Blue Cross Arena. Friday night in Cleveland he had a goal and an assist in Texas’ thrilling come-from-behind 4-3 shootout win over the Monsters. Vincour capped off his week with two assists in a 4-2 win over Lake Erie on Saturday. Vincour is currently on a five-game point streak, posting 11 points (6 goals, 5 assists) and a +4 rating during that span. In 42 AHL games for Texas this year he ranks sixth on the team with 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists).

Stars Quick Hits:

• 900 PRO GAMES – Center Toby Petersen played in his 900th career pro game on Saturday at Lake Erie. The Bloomington, Minnesota native has recorded 443 points (176 goals, 267 assists) and 203 penalty minutes since first making his pro debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins during the 2000-01 season. Petersen has played in 496 career AHL games, just four shy of his 500th AHL game, and has appeared in 397 career NHL games with Pittsburgh, Edmonton and Dallas.

• NHL FIRST – Left wing Matt Fraser scored his first career NHL goal on Monday night at Nashville. Fraser was playing in his second career NHL game, his first of this season as Dallas lost to the Predators 5-4.

• SHORTHANDED SUCCESS – Colton Sceviour scored his team-leading third shorthanded goal of the season on Wednesday at Rochester in Texas’ 5-1 win over the Americans. The Red Deer, Alberta native is tied with five other players for second in the AHL, although he has the fewest games played of the group. The goal was also Sceviour’s fourth game-winning goal, with leads the Stars.

• NEW GOAL SCORERS – Forward Mathieu Tousignant scored his first AHL goal of the season on Wednesday night at Rochester and defenseman Carl Sneep scored his first goal of the year on Saturday at Lake Erie. It was Tousignant’s 17th career AHL goal, while Sneep’s was his fifth career AHL goal, but first since the 2010-11 season.

• APPROACHING STARS MILESTONES: C Toby Petersen is 4 GP shy of his 500th career AHL game. Tonight will be LW Francis Wathier’s 450th career pro game and 1 assist shy of his 100th career pro assist. LW Luke Gazdic is 1 GP away from his 250th career pro game and 7 GP away from his 250th career AHL game. D Jace Coyle needs 2 GP to play in his 100th career pro game. RW Bretton Cameron needs 2 points to record his 100th career pro point.

The Texas Stars will complete their eight-day, four-game road trip tonight against the Oklahoma City Barons at 7:00 p.m. at Cox Convention Center. The Stars’ next home game is on Friday, March 1st at 7:30 p.m. against the Chicago Wolves for another Texas Lottery Lucky Row Night and a $3 Beer Night. Pro-rated full and partial 2012-13 season seat packages are on sale now. For more information on Texas Stars season tickets call (512) GO-STARS (467-8277) or visit www.TexasStarsHockey.com.